Friday, March 11, 2011

Contingency Plan

I sometimes think about what I'd do if this knitting thing didn't work out. And lately it goes something like this: I'd open my own candy store. Featuring what else but Claramels, of course.

I'd spend my days stirring pot after pot of sweet gooey deliciousness, effortlessly transforming it into perfectly wrapped pieces of happiness that people would come from all corners of the globe to acquire, in copious quantities, with large wads of cash. I'd be in every gourmet grocery store in America. Martha and I would be on a first-name basis. Jacques Pepin would ask, "How on earth did you think to pair molasses with chevre?" I'd smile demurely and hand him another sample.

That's my dream, and I blame it on this Portland storefront. Sure, it may not look like much to you. But in it I see potential. I see freshly polished tile floors, marble counters and glass cabinets and mirrors galore, old-fashioned apothecary jars filled to the brim with fresh confections, and me, humming a tune as I unlock the door early in the morning, flip on the lights, crank up the tunes, and begin my day.

Suddenly I'm a morning person, I'm a brilliant and fearless businesswoman, I have boundless energy and oh, did I mention? Extraordinary management skills. Time, people, money, you name it. I'm a genius.

All I can conclude is that even when you're lucky enough to live your wildest dreams, you still end up dreaming.

I LOVE your dream! I love this post if your blog very much! One of my dreams is to have a Pastry shop! I think the building cries out to be a candy store and I can picture it just as you say! What a wonderful dream! Don't ever stop dreaming!

In my dream I see myself visiting Portland (the other Portland) and stepping into the cool interior on a sunny day, enjoying the old fashioned marble and apothecary jars, and trading wads of cash for sweet little dreams...

If this knitting thing doesn't work out I think my contingency plan is a cardboard sign on the highway onramp... hmmm... better get working on that contingency thing. ;-)

Could it be that collectively those dreams and contingency plans are the elusive secret ingredient which make your Claramels (tm), your books, your reviews and your very Clara-ness so savor-worthy? I suspect so. May your dreams and contingency plans continue to bubble up and evolve, however they decide to manifest.

Confectioner by day, knitter/author by night. Making dreams a reality only requires that you say "yes!" Passion is the key ingredient, and with that, you can find all the resources to put things together. Life is short, dream big!

I have eaten a Claramel and while I love your books, I would love to be eating those caramels again too. Maybe some combination? Of course books get written and then can be mass produced and shipped by others. I marvel at the energy it takes to keep producing consumables daily and weekly and the complexity of retail sales---none the less, despite these difficulties lovely people have small stores and sell me artisanal food every day for which i am extremely grateful. So the dream does seem possible to effect.

This is definitely one of the things I needed to hear right now while I am on a seemingly never ending quest to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. It's good to know that my what if day dreams will probably always be there. Perhaps I am already where I want to be? :)

Well, if your dream was to be a brilliant violonist in the Alte Akademie fur Musik from Berlin, I'm happy to report that I saw you (or your twin Carla) perform last weekend! Even my husband said that it was you on stage, he remembers your good looks from the KR retreat :)